


Sparring Session

by Burgie



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, Miqo'te WoL, female WoL, so much urst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25956484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Veronyka works on her monk training with her best friend who she definitely isn't catching feelings for.
Relationships: implied Lyse Hext/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 5





	Sparring Session

Amid the rolling dunes of Southern Thanalan, there weren’t too many places for sparring practice to take place. Especially with the Amal’jaa always prowling around the place, and the sand drakes. The bombs and dunefish, mercifully, paid little attention to two women searching for a spot to spar. Even better, the U tribe were only too willing to show them to a place safe from any dangers.

It was a little spot by the river, where only the occasional yarzon ambled by every now and again. They were easy to kill, though, being little more than giant spiders. Veronyka could dispatch them with one little scathe spell, as she did now while Lyse looked on, a smile curving her lips.

“You’d better put that away soon,” said Lyse. “Can’t use magic when we’re sparring with our fists.”

“Then what’s Greased Lightning?” Veronyka asked, tucking her staff behind her back. Lyse shook her head, chuckling.

“Fair point,” said Lyse. “But you know what I mean.”

“I do,” said Veronyka. With a last longing glance at her staff, she sought out her own set of hora, the magic washing over her to change her outfit with little more than a thought. Despite Veronyka’s preference for longer clothing that hid more of her body, her monk outfit was little more than a pair of shorts (not much longer than Lyse’s) and a tunic that tried its best to cover her torso and give her some modicum of decency. Lyse still couldn’t quite get enough of that sight, though she dare not tell Nyka. Dare not ruin what they had. This tenuous friendship, built on moons of trust and strengthened by the ordeal of helping Veronyka deal with the pains that life had dealt her.

“You ready?” Lyse asked, drawing her own hora.

“Always,” said Veronyka, giving her a smile that always had Lyse’s heart doing flips in her chest. Especially now. Her heart longed to be the one to pick up the pieces, to mend the hurts with kisses and gentle touches, but deep down, she knew that this would only bring further pain.

Lyse took up her usual position, bouncing on the balls of her feet after stretching out her limbs to loosen them up. She’d had to help Veronyka with this at first, for even when she fought as a dark knight, despite being largely melee, it was still mostly Veronyka’s job to stand still even while swinging her greatsword around. Lyse had seen her in action, of course, and though it felt wrong to see the once-cheerful miqo’te give into her darker side, give into the hurt, it was wonderful, all the same, to see how she could wield such a huge sword with such ease.

Now, Lyse watched as Veronyka stretched, loosening up her limbs and getting used to moving around, hopping from one foot to the other, her tail swinging behind her.

“Okay, now I’m ready,” said Veronyka, Lyse chuckling in amusement at her. Gods, had she always been so cute? Rhalgr give her strength to resist this temptation.

“Alright,” said Lyse, raising her fists. “Think fast.” She lunged forward, quick on her feet, and Veronyka yelped and stepped aside at the last moment, sending Lyse skidding to a stop, straightening up at the last moment.

“Was that aetherial manipulation?” Lyse asked, frowning at Veronyka. “That’s cheating, you know.”

“I’m just using all of the tools available to me,” said Veronyka, her tail flicking behind her in amusement.

“Cheater,” said Lyse. Veronyka scoffed, shaking her head.

“Okay, fine,” said Veronyka, taking her staff from the void where it usually resided while she had another job stone equipped. She tossed her staff onto the sand, where it glittered in the sunlight, Sophia’s beads from a long-ago expedition to the Warring Triad seeming to swirl with arcane magic. “Let’s try again.”

“You do have to get used to moving,” said Lyse. “Remember, pugilists and monks have positions where their hits can do extra damage.”

“And build up the Greased Lightning magic, yes, I know,” said Veronyka, nodding. “I remember all of our lessons.”

“You do?” Lyse asked. Veronyka nodded.

“Learning how to fight as a dark knight means focusing on the pain and letting it consume me,” said Veronyka. “But learning how to be a monk from you, it’s… it just makes me happy, you know? Because I’m learning to fight side by side with my best friend.”

“Never knew you felt so strongly about me,” said Lyse with a crooked smile. This was all she’d ever wanted, and yet… it was wrong. She didn’t want Veronyka to fall in love with a lie, even if… well, she was still the same person, technically, just…

“It reminds me a lot of my rogue training with V’kebbe, back when I was still so young,” said Veronyka.

“Oh, really?” Lyse asked, a knowing smile on her lips. “The one you had a crush on, you mean?” The moment the words left her lips, the air froze between them, and Lyse wished that she could take it back. Veronyka looked down, her ears pinned, tail flicking behind her in agitation.

“Yes, that one,” said Veronyka softly at last. “Maybe I should get back to that, once you teach me how to move again. V’kebbe’s likely to slice off a chunk of my hair if I don’t move fast enough.”

“On purpose?” Lyse asked.

“Of course not,” said Veronyka, shaking her head. “Well, not maliciously, anyway. She just does it for fun, and then I hiss at her and try to get her back.”

“I imagine that the rogue style of fighting is a lot like monk, only you’re punching with knives instead of your fists,” said Lyse. Veronyka laughed.

“Pretty much,” said Veronyka. “And there are more flips in the rogue style of fighting.”

“Maybe you could teach me,” said Lyse.

“Well, I’m not exactly an expert like you are in the way of the monk,” said Veronyka. Lyse flushed at the praise. “But sure, I guess I can try. Unless you feel like learning to use magic, anyway.” She fell silent again, choked up, and Lyse fought against the guilt weighing her down to step towards her.

“Sorry I brought it up,” said Lyse, wrapping her arms gently around the miqo’te. Veronyka buried her head in Lyse’s shoulder on impulse, Lyse’s heart leaping in her chest. She hoped that Veronyka couldn’t hear that, though she probably could. At least the guilt stopped her heart from racing. Lyse ran a hand over Veronyka’s hair, attempting to soothe her, attempting to ignore how much she’d longed to do this, how much she loved doing it. How much she longed for it to be more.

“It’s okay, you don’t control my thoughts,” said Veronyka as she pulled her head away, her eyes wet.

“I forgot that you wanted to teach her… I’m sorry,” said Lyse. “I’m an idiot.”

“It’s amazing, what you can forget when you’re going through a lot,” said Veronyka. “The things you remember that break you.”

“We don’t have to train today if you’re not up for it,” said Lyse. “I get it, Nyka, really, I do.”

“No, it’s fine, Yda,” said Veronyka, shaking her head. “Sometimes, you need something physical to distract you from the emotional pain. That’s what I’ve found, anyway.”

“At least you won’t get frozen to death out here if you overdo it,” said Lyse. “Worst case, you get caught by the Amalj’aa and then Loonh Gah will bitch at you for inconveniencing her.” Veronyka gave a snuffly little laugh.

“You’re right,” said Veronyka. “But I do still want to train with you. I’ve been looking forward to it since last time, honestly.”

“Then I’ll do my best to keep you on your toes,” said Lyse. “Do you remember which element to call on?”

“Wind to move faster?” Veronyka asked. Lyse nodded, grinning, and gave Veronyka the briefest moment to call upon the power of the wind before she was upon her, fists just barely managing to fly past Veronyka as she twisted to avoid them.

“You fight like a rogue,” said Lyse, watching her. “You have to plant your feet more while still staying light on them.”

“And how am I meant to do that?” Veronyka asked. She tried to plant her feet, but a punch from Lyse had her staggering backwards, falling back onto the sand. “Damn it!”

“Balls of your feet,” said Lyse, showing Veronyka how she kept her weight on the balls of her feet while dodging out of the way of invisible attacks. Veronyka watched, nodded, and then held her hand out. Lyse took it, smiling as she easily pulled Veronyka to her feet.

“Right, I think I’ve got it,” said Veronyka. “Let’s try again.”

This time, Lyse kept the punches swift, watching as Veronyka tried to keep her feet planted while dodging at the same time. The result was that she didn’t move all that much, even on the balls of her feet.

“What are you doing?” Lyse asked. “Is this how mages keep getting hit by stuff?”

“Yeah,” said Veronyka. “You have to stand still to channel most spells, especially when you’ve put leylines down.”

“Well, that sounds… dangerous,” said Lyse.

“It’s not so bad once you’ve learned where to stand,” said Veronyka. “And then the enemy aims attacks at you, which is very rude.”

“I can imagine,” said Lyse. “But when you’re fighting in this style, you need to be quick on your feet and able to think fast.”

“Yeah, I’ve gathered that,” said Veronyka. “It’s why it’s such a great distraction.” She gave Lyse a small smile. “Once more with feeling?”

“If you think you can handle it,” said Lyse. “I won’t hold back this time.”

“Okay, so… fists of earth?” Veronyka asked, trying to remember which element would defend against stronger attacks.

“Nope, keep it in wind,” said Lyse, shaking her head. “You need all the speed you can get, my dear.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault I usually fight as a black mage,” said Veronyka, tail lashing behind her as she drew the wind around her to speed her steps.

“It literally is but okay,” said Lyse, laughing. Veronyka flattened her ears, but Lyse knew, in the way that she knew her best friend, that she wasn’t truly angry about it.

“When will I learn how to hit things?” Veronyka asked with a huff.

“Once I know that you can dance around your opponent without getting hit back,” said Lyse.

“Scared that I’ll hurt you?” Veronyka asked, narrowing her eyes in challenge.

“Nope, just worried that you’ll get in over your head and end up needing a phoenix feather that I don’t have on me right now,” said Lyse.

“Oh,” said Veronyka, the challenge falling away from her. “I’m sorry, Yda, I didn’t realise…”

“It is partially from my own experiences, though, I will admit,” said Lyse. “But dark knights have the shields to absorb damage. Monks might be able to get hit more, but… fists of earth is the best we have to shield until you’ve had a lot more training.”

“Do you have that shield yet?” Veronyka asked.

“Not yet,” said Lyse, shaking her head. “I haven’t finished my training yet.”

“And yet you’re training me,” said Veronyka.

“Because I like lifting that shroud of pain from you, Veronyka,” said Lyse. Because she loved her, because she wanted to see her happy, because there was something about seeing Veronyka become stronger that lit a fire within her heart. All things that she dare not say.

“And I like having it lifted,” said Veronyka. “So thank you. I don’t mind that you’re not a professional, either, Yda. You’re good enough for me.”

“Thanks,” said Lyse, hoping that she could blame her flushed cheeks on the sun.

This time, as Lyse attempted to rain down blows upon Veronyka, she was pleased to see that Veronyka moved faster, dodging blows easily before trying to return with hits of her own. She definitely had the arm and upper body strength, Lyse noted, from her training as a dark knight. She even had muscles now, sweat glistening on them, distracting Lyse from her own dodges.

“Ha!” Veronyka declared triumphantly, sitting on Lyse’s hips after managing to disarm her and send her onto her back. “How the tables have turned.”

“You distracted me,” said Lyse. Veronyka giggled, leaning down to look Lyse in the eyes. The air was charged between them, Veronyka’s hair tickling Lyse’s face. Lyse could barely breathe, not wanting to break this moment for anything.

And then, just as Lyse thought that surely Veronyka was about to bridge that gap, she was disappointed by the miqo’te climbing off of her, offering a hand to help Lyse to her feet.

“The next one on their back has to buy drinks afterward?” Veronyka offered. Lyse grinned, though the thought of kissing her remained, sticky cobwebs in her mind.

“You’re on,” said Lyse, grinning cockily and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

To say that it was rather difficult to share a tent that night when the desert became drenched in a rainstorm was an understatement.


End file.
